Air-conditioning unit



Nov. 18, 1947. g, J, STEELE 2,431,146

AIR CONDITIONING UNIT Filed Jan. 18. 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l BIYMOIVD 57551.5,

INVENTOR.

ATTORN EY.

NOV. 18, 1947. R, STEELE 2,431,146

AIR CONDITIOIIIING UNIT Fi led Jan. 18. 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 h t. k, Q JQAYMONO (ism-5L5 g1 Ts INVENTOR. 2 BY G ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 18, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIR-CONDITIONING UNIT Raymond James Steele, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application January 18, 1944, Serial No. 518,701

= 2 Claims.

The invention relates to an air conditioning unit and has for an object to provide a unit which maybe employed to either heat or cool the inside of an-automobile.

In my co-pending application, Serial No. 398,269, filed June 16, 1941, for Car cooler, I have disclosed and claimed an air conditioning unit for coo-ling the inside of an automobile. Certain of the features disclosed in the present case are claimed in said patent application. The present case relates to an improvement in my former construction, partly in the provision of a unit which may be employed either as a heater or as a cooler, and partly in simplifying and improving the efiiciency and construction of the cooling unit.

According to certain prior arrangements, it has been proposed to project a spray of water into the path of air passing through an air conditioning unit. Such arrangements usually employ a spray wheel which obstructs the flow of air 5 and the recirculated air 95%.

A further feature of the invention relates to an economy of space of the unit by providing a small tank for supplying the spray or mist, with a supply tank which may be located somewhere otherthan in front of the occupants on the front seat, for example it may be mounted on the opposite side of the wall between the engine and the drivers compartment, 9. float valve or other regulating means being employed to control the flow from the supply tank to the spray tank.

An economy of flow of conditioned air through the unit is further provided by driving the mist producing wheel by a motor which is positioned outside of the main casing of the unit, whereby through the unit. An object of the presenting vention is to provide an air conditioning unit wherein a large amount of heating or cooling efficiency is obtained in a small space, bearing in mind that as such a unit is used in an automobile in front of the wall separating the driver's compartment from the engine, it is desirable to make the unit small enough so as to not inconvenience the occupants of the front seat, while nevertheless providing a unit which shallproduce a sufficient amount of either heating {or cooling ef feet. This is accomplished, so farjas the cooler is concerned, by obtaining the major part of the cooling through the use of a fine mist or spray of water in a cooling chamber in front of an evaporative pad which gives some additional cooling through absorption of moisture, and this is accomplished without obstructing the flow of conditioned air through the casing by providing means outside of the main casing for projecting the mist of spray into the cooling chamber in front of the pad. Also, a maximum flow of air through the main casing is provided by providing a path straight through the casing instead of employing a number of small tortuous passages as heretofore proposed. A further advantage of locating the mist producing means out of the main path of air is that when such means are not employed during the timethat the unit is employed as a heater, the mist producing means does not obstruct the flow of heated air.

A further object of the invention is to provide for recirculation of the air in the car, either through the heater or the cooler, while making it possible to admit to the unit a desired amount the motor does not obstruct the flow of air and it does not heat up the air in the unit.

A further feature of the invention relates to an. improved nozzle and valve arrangement whereby the cold air from the unit may bedirected upwardly when the unit is operating as a cooler, and the hot air may be directed downwardly when operating as a heater.

While the unit will be particularly described in connection with its use in and adaption for an automobile, the unit on its novel features separately or in combination may be employed in other situations.

For further details of the invention reference may be made to the drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view, partly in section, of a typical automobile provided with the air conditioning unit of this invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view,

40 with certain parts broken away, of the unit of this invention.

Fig. 3 is a reduced end elevational view of the heater end of the unit of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows 3--3.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view with parts broken away of line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the nozzle for the blower of Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring'in detail to the drawings, I indicates a typical automobile having an engine or motor 2, a pump 3, a wall 4 between the engine 2 and the drivers compartment, a floorboard 5, an instrument panel 6, a cowl opening I and a cowl closure 8.

In front of the drivers seat not shown and on 3' 1 the driver's side of the wall 4 is mounted the air conditioning unit 8 of thisainvention. The unit 9 as shown in Fig. 1 is supported from the fioorboard 5 and the wall 4 by means of a suitable bracket Ill. The unit 9 has a fresh air' inlet connected to the cowl opening 'I by a coupling section l2 which'inay be of fabric, and water may be supplied to the unit from a supply tank I3 supported by bracket: I4 on the engine side of the wall 4. The supplytank I3 is connected to a the unit 9 by a tube or pipe l5 having a valve it at the left side of wall 4 as seen in Fig. 1. Water from the unit 9 maybe drained through pipe Ii having a valve l0.

Referring to Fig. 2-, the unit 0 comprises an elongated casing l9 having its left end substantially filled with a heater and having an outlet 2| at its opposite end. Outlet 2| is coupled to the intake 22 of a blower 23 driven by a motor 24. The axes of the motor 24 and blower 23are coaxial with the longitudinal axis of easing i3 and the air in casing l9 enters the lower inlet 22 along the axis of the blower and is discharged from a periphery thereof as is well known. The blower 23 has an outlet or discharge nozzle 25, shown in Figs. 1 and 5, which extends from the blower 23 under the lower edge of the instrument panel 6 and to the front of panel 3 where it has an upwardly directed outlet 28 which may be employed for discharging cold air. At the bottom of nozzle 25 adjacent the blower 23 is provided an outlet 21 which may be employed for discharging heated air. Behind the outlet 21 inside of nozzle 25 is a pivoted valve 28 having a handle not shown. Valve 28 in .the position shown in Fig. 1 is adapted to close off the outer portion of nozzle 25 and cause the air to pass through outlet 21. Also, valve 28 may be moved to close outlet 21 and cause the air-to discharge from outlet 26.

The heatercomprises a plurality of rows of spaced pipes 29 connected to headers 30 and 3| as is well known. The heater 20 is provided at its lower portion with a pipe 3| having a valve 32 and a pipe 33 for connection to the water cooling system of motor 2. The top of heater 20 is provided with a pipe 34 connected to a pipe or hose connection 35 connected to the suction side of pump 3, whereby pump 3 circulates hot water through pipes 3| and 33 and through the heater filled with an evaporative pad 31. a

The heater is spaced from the pad 31 and the intervening space comprises a cooling chamber 38; The inlet I opens into the top of casing It at the chamber 38, that is between the heater 20 and the pad 31. to produce the major portion of the cooling effect, without thereby obstructing the interior of the casing lit, by providing outside of the casing l9 and opening into it at the bottom thereof in front of pad 31, a depending small tank 39 adapt ed to contain a supply of water indicated at 40. The water 40 is projected as a very fine spray or mist into the chamber 38 to thereby cool the air in it by evaporation of said mist, by means of a pair of wheels or discs 4| directly coupled to a motor 42 mounted on the tank 39 by bolts such as 43. The right wall of tank 30 has an aperture 44 through which the motor shaft 45 passes and a washer 46 is arranged between the motor 42 The chamber 30 is employed- 4 and the right wall of tank 33 43 to prevent leakage of water 40. The wheels 3| as shown in Fig. l are each provided with slits 47 spaced along its'periphery. The slits are provided by taking a disc of galvanized metal and cutting through the periphery of the disc at spaced intervals as indicated at 41. Then the slits are hammered so as to substantially close them, whereby the wheels 4| have slightly roughened periphery. The motor 42 is a high speed motor revolving at from 1700 to 2500 R. P. M. and it has been found that at this high speed, the slight roughness described is sumcient to produce a fine mist and spray. If desired, a smooth wheel may be employed, but I find that a wheel having very slight roughness is better.

- The pipe l5 and valve I3 are connected to a pipe 40 which may leave through the top or casing it and inside thereof as indicated in Fig, 4 to a point in tank 39 where it is provided with a valve 49 controlled by a float 50 resting on. the water 40 to maintain the level thereof at a suitable height which extends over the lower part of wheels 4|. To prevent the water thrown from the wheels 4|, particularly when starting up,

ing from one shape to the other and the casing sections being connected by suitable screws such The pad 31 at its outer faces may have suitable screens 33, and 54 held in position by suitable fingers such as 55 and 58 respectively.

When operating as a heater, it will be apparent that the cowl closure 8 may be partly open or it may be closed. The louvre 38 is opened, the valve 32 is turned on to admit hot water to the heater 20, the motor 42 is left idle and the motor 24 is operated to run the blower 23, and the valve 20 is moved to the position shown in Fig. 1, to discharge hot air downwardly.

When operating as a cooler, the valve 32 is closed, preferably the louvre 36 is closed, the cowl closure 8 is opened, valve I8 is opened to supply water to tank. 39, motor 421s operated to project spray or mist into the chamber 38 to cool the air in that chamber and the incoming air in projecting the cooled moist air against pad 31 effects a further cooling of the air while the excess moisture is stopped by the pad 31 and returned to the tank 39 as the-casing section 51 around pad 31 is tapered ASTShOWll, and hence the bottom of it slopes towards the tank 39 to return drip from pad 31 to tank 39. The blower switch (not shown) is turned on so that the cooled and filtered air which fills the whole interior Of the casing section 51 passes into the blower 23, and the valve 28 may be moved to its alternate position to eject the cooled air through the outlet 26.

From Fig. 1, it will be noted that the width of the unit is small in comparison to the usual distance between the instrument panel 3 and the wall 4, whereby it does not materially inconvenience the occupants of the front seat not shown.

In one model which was constructed, the size around the shaft thereof may be gauged from the fact that the diameter of the outlet 2| was about 4", the diameter at the inlet end of pad 31 was about 6 On one occasion when the ends, one or which is rectangular and the other a circular, said rectangular end of said casing providing a, housing for a conventional rectangular hot water heater, a blower having an inlet fitting the circular end of said casing, said blower having a rearwardly directed outlet, a tank below and opening into the bottom of said casing, said oasing having a wall sloping downwardly from the inlet of said blower to a point adjacent said tank, a pad filling said casing substantially from said tank to said blower inlet, a motor outside of said tank, means driven by said motor for splashing water from said tank to said pad, and a cowl inlet at the top of said casing between said heater and said pad. 4

2. An air conditioning unit for an automobile having a wall between the engine and drivers compartment; said unit comprising an elongated casing having a longitudinal axis, means for sup porting said casing at the back of said wall with said longitudinal axis extending horizontally crosswise of the automobile, one end of said casing serving as a housing for a heater, said casing end having an inlet, a, blower having an inlet connected to the other end of said casing, said first inlet and said blower inlet being in line with each other along the longitudinal axis of said oasing, a cowl inlet at the top of said casing between said heater housing and said blower, pad substantially filling a portion of the Ian th of said casing adjacent said blower inlet, a motor driven spray wheel and tank in front of and below said pad, said tank being open at its top and in communication with said casing, and a discharge nozzle on said blower.

I RAYMOND JAMES STEELE.

REFERENCES orrnn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

1 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,995,667 Cano Mar. 26, 1935 1,568,717 Braemer Jan, 5, 1926 1,848,202 Scott Mar. 8, 1932 2,225,740 Feinberg Dec. 24, 1940 2,262,542 Bahnson, Jr Nov. 11, 1941 2,026,929 Backe Jan. 7, 1936 2,104,394 Halbleib Jan. 4, 1938 2,235,642 Lintern et a1 Mar. 18, 1941 2,017,579 Anderson Oct. 15, 1935 2,045,826 Benolken June 30, 1936 2,285,725 Kneedler June 9, 1942 1,704,971 Howell Mar. 12, 1929 1,788,205 Robinson Jan. 6, 1931 1,996,019 Hueber Mar. 26, 1935 2,009,550 Harris 1- July 30, 1935 2,242,337 Aufiero May 20, 1941 2,262,384 Cooper Nov. 11, 1941 2,277,552 Kneedler Mar. 24, 1942 2,306,796 Staley et a1 Dec. 29, 1942 2,309,202 Moore Jan. 26, 1943 2,215,753 Goodman et a1. Sept. 24, 1940 

